Q: "I want to get a camera but don't want to spend so much on a DSLR or an SLR, what point and shoot should I get?"A: We need to know your budget! Without that, we don;t know what to tell you. I'd go with the Nikon Coolpix series, but I'm biased since Im still in love with my 3200. Please, don't make a thread asking this question, just post it in here and we'll answer it.

Q: "I want a lens, but don't know which to get! Help!"A: Tell us your budget, and what you want to shoot. If you want to shoot wildlife or sports, I suggest getting a zoom telephoto lens. Look around other forums and maybe go to your town's Photography Club(if you have one) and ask some pro's for their opinion. 200mm is sometimes too long for portraits yet too short for wildlife... but, for landscape shots, 200mm can be wonderful to work with, providing the perfect range. 50-60mm macro lenses are the most cost effective but also the most restrictive. Their performance for general subjects is somewhat limited as their qualities have been set up for real close focusing and not for infinity focusing that normal lenses excel at.

Post all of your questions concerning cameras and/or photography in here and we will do our best to answer them.

Check back a few pages before you post a new question to see if it has already been answered. Chances are it will have been answered at least a couple of times.

hello I am an amature who has taken two photography classes one in high school and another in college and love it as a hobby however am not considering become a fully professional photographer. I am looking at getting a digital slr in the upcomming months and was wondering what your opinions were on the Nikon D80, is this camera enough of a step above the D60 to make it worth the extra money?

If you're not (thanks Chad) looking to go pro, the D60 is enough for the average ameture, high-end consumer, above the D60 you have the D80 and now D90. If you consider yourself a "prosumer" (high end goods) the D90 is ideal. It has resolution that will keep you happy for the life of the camera, it's fast, versitile and easy to use with loads of accessories. If you're looking for a well rounded camera that gives you solid control the D60 will also keep you happy for years, is light weight and very user friendly. Nikons hold good value and this generation has alot of cool accessories that the D70 didn't (that's what I have and I feel left out)...

The D70 and D70s are out of production, the D80 replaced it and having tested a D90, I say go with that, it's fast, takes great pictures, has options the D70/s doesn't and is solid in your hands.

For the record the D700 is the best camera I've ever held, I cried inside putting down...

There are rubber cases and rain covers but both seriously effect the use of the camera. Most higher quality DSLR have seals that protect most of the openings, the most vulnerable areas are the mount and back side, only a rain cover will protect them but not from a direct shot where the pressure could cause damage. Best thing you can do for your camera to protect it, quality insurance.

thanks guys, ya i do consider myself the "prosumer" ill never do it for a living to make a d700 worth the money to me but the d80 is somethin ive looked long and hard at...hadnt really looked into the d90 ill have to check that out. Thanks for the advice it was just what i was looking for.

Sadly with a lower price range your better to save up some more. You can look at photography-on-the.net for a used Canon XT and get a 75-300mm lens. It would be a great starter. Myself the Canon XT was my starter body. Used you can probably get the body for 250-300 and then the lens about 150 or so.
Really i would save up abit more tho.

intrested in photography and want to do professional style photos at local fields.What type of camera do you reccomend?Best price and quality?Something moderate for price and quality?

there is really no cheap way of getting high quality photos. you should get a dslr it doesnt matter if its canon or nikon, its all personal preference. as for quality, the most important thing about picture quality is the lens, you get what you pay for.

Ok, to keep it short, drop the $250 and your in the super low end range. $500-$600 will get you a decent DSLR with a not so decent lens. Unfortunately DSLR is cheaper and yet not as cheap as 35mm. My field kit is roughly just under $2k and that's dirt freakin cheap in the "Pro" realm.

Personally I like Nikon, selection is reasonable, great lenses and quality. The biggest thing when buying an DSLR or any highend photography gear is how you like it in your hands. With digital you have to be able to use the camera and its features on the fly, especially in paintball.

Go CANON! hahah. Um really though. My first setup was a Canon XT n a 70-200mm F/4L
You can get a nice USED setup for really cheap. I wouldn't if i were u for your first setup go used since your so low on funds.
Canon Xt or XTi is about 300 or so used and then the lens above 450$
Your looking around 900$, with memory cards and shipping for a decent setup.

i have a camera and whenever i take pics it seems to be shaky in the pic,like the pic blures idk what it is cause its a great camera

What type of camera are you shooting with?

Can anyone tell me the best way to protect my camera and lens on the paintball field.

There is no perfect way to protect your camera and lens~paint splatters and gets into the smallest of places~I use body armor to protect the lens~an arm band at the base of the lens where it meets the camera body~I then wrap a bandana around the lens~down far enough that it doesn't interfere with my ability to zoom~

For sports you pretty much need to get a DSLR. Regardless of whether you look at the various manufactures, you have to know that when you buy a camera, your really BUYING INTO THE LENS SYSTEM of that company.

DSLR's were created so you can change lenses. And guess what, the lenses cost more than half the cameras out on the market so you have to be careful about what you want. At professional events, those big white Canon lenses you see on the sidelines? They are about 2 grand and up. Nikon is as expensive if not more. There are 3rd party companies that do make lenses for less so you have to look at the lens offerings to see what you really want. Ideally you want something more than 200mm at the very least. You could get some teleconverters to add a bit more zoom, but there is a minor sacrifice in image quality and autofocus capability.

Here are some generalizations about the cameras out there:

Canon & Nikon dominate, be it from marketing hype and advertising dollars but they have been in the game for decades. It isn't all fluff since generally both companies have excellent image quality throughout their product range. The Canon EOS 1D series has been a pinnacle of sports photography for quite a while and is built like a tank. The new Nikon D300, D700, and D3 have been dominating in recent months though. Bad thing is you have to pay for it all, the lowest camera here starts at $2000 just for the body.

Sony, new to the DSLR game they are making great strides but their lens system isn't really in place yet to compete with the big two. HOWEVER, the majority of image sensors found in your point and shoot cameras as well as Nikon DSLR's are made by Sony. Their a350 is pretty awesome for people transitioning from point and shoots to DSLRs.

Olympus. This might apply greatly for paintball since Olympus DSLRs are VERY weather proof. They also make a sensor debris removal system that works.

I think someone asked about how to protect a camera on a field? I've never done it but they make a thick custom rubber skin called camera armor that people like, although I would still drape a thick canvas sheet over the camera. I think taking 2 hours of your time you could make one that works pretty well.

Do yourself a favor and get a lens filter so you don't ruin your new equipment as well.

Hope this helps and I'll try to answer any questions if needed.

BTW....better camera equipment does not make you a better photographer. If you suck with a $300 camera, your going to suck with a $8,000 camera. Paraphrased from Mike.

I forgot to mention that part about Minolta lenses working on Sony alphas. I don't have any first hand experience with that, but aren't they a little expensive relative to performance? I could be wrong.

so i have an ok camera at the moment and im just wondering if this any tips or tricks to take better pictures or is it just practice practice practice

Yeah man. It really is all about practice.

If your not doing this already, DO NOT use any of the automatic settings. Try staying in the Aperture Priority and Shutter Priority settings. For sports photography, your mainly going to be concerned with the shutter priority since you need to freeze the action. That said, don't limit yourself to just sports photography because. You need to work on the concepts of how aperture, shutter speed, and ISO settings all effect one another.

"$475 firm or $365 without the lens.....Excellent condition NIKON D70 autofocus DX digital SLR camera body with built-in pop-up flash, battery, charger, USB cable, body cap and memory card plus autofocus Nikon / Nikkor DX 18-55mm G ED lens (including front/rear caps). Also, I have a spare new-in-the-box Nikon battery that would cost $90.39 (Nikon battery model EN-EL3a lists for $79.99 plus taxes) at the camera store and you can have that with the camera for another $30 (you really should have a spare battery). You could also take this camera with a Nikon 28-70mm lens at an additional cost instead of the 28-55mm lens listed here.

Camera has only 5679 shutter actuations, so it has seen very little use and works perfectly ( I really like this camera and have another one that I plan to keep, I just want to replace this one with another model). Warranty on the camera body until late November (warranty is supplied and supported by camera store that sold this to me as a used unit). I have a couple other lenses here that you can also try out and we can display test shots on my PC. $475 firm or $365 without the lens. "

Skip that... Took a quick look at KEH.com, they have EX-condition D70 bodies for $200-250 and a LN-condition 18-55 G II for $80. KEH grades conservatively too so when they say excellent condition, it's more like mint.

is there such thing as HD pictures ? is that what DSLR cameras use to get such good pics? is there a point and shoot that can take HD pics and would it be a good camera for personal paintball pics ? thanks

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"$475 firm or $365 without the lens.....Excellent condition NIKON D70 autofocus DX digital SLR camera body with built-in pop-up flash, battery, charger, USB cable, body cap and memory card plus autofocus Nikon / Nikkor DX 18-55mm G ED lens (including front/rear caps). Also, I have a spare new-in-the-box Nikon battery that would cost $90.39 (Nikon battery model EN-EL3a lists for $79.99 plus taxes) at the camera store and you can have that with the camera for another $30 (you really should have a spare battery). You could also take this camera with a Nikon 28-70mm lens at an additional cost instead of the 28-55mm lens listed here.

Camera has only 5679 shutter actuations, so it has seen very little use and works perfectly ( I really like this camera and have another one that I plan to keep, I just want to replace this one with another model). Warranty on the camera body until late November (warranty is supplied and supported by camera store that sold this to me as a used unit). I have a couple other lenses here that you can also try out and we can display test shots on my PC. $475 firm or $365 without the lens. "

Thats a bit much Try ebay or craigslist they tend to have the best deals. I.E on ebay you can get a d70 for around 200 and get a decent glass for another 200-300 so IMO it's better to doit like that.

Hey, I am a photography enthusiast and I have had Photography as a hobby for about a year now and have been borrowing my friends Nikon D60x. I want to buy my own camera, and I have been looking at the Nikon D70s or D70. I was wondering if that would be an appropriate camera for me, I am looking forward to shooting Scenic pictures and occasional wildlife. My budget is anywhere up to 400 USD. If you have any other questions that would improve feedback, please ask. Thanks.

Now I'm edging on the side of getting a D60, this would be the make up I could buy from Amazon.com for 500$(Including Shipping) Nikon D60 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G AF-S DX VR Nikkor Zoom Lens. Do you think that would be a good choice.